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Contents

2009

January

January 1 – Czechia takes over the presidency of the Council of the European Community from France.

January 1 –Asunción, the capital of Paraguay, becomes the American Capital of Culture and Vilnius and Linz become the European Capitals of Culture.

January 1 –Slovakia adopts the euro as its national currency, replacing the Slovak koruna.

January 7 –Russia shuts off all gas supplies to most of Europe through Ukraine. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin publicly endorses the move and urges greater international involvement in the energy dispute.

January 20 – Hilary Clinton is inaugurated as the 44th, and first Woman, President of the United States.

January 22 –Congolese rebel leader Laurent Nkunda is captured by Rwandan forces after crossing over the border into Rwanda.

January 26 – The Icelandic government and banking system collapse; Prime Minister Geir Haarde immediately resigns.

February

February 1 –Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow is enthroned as the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church.

February 1 –Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir is appointed as the new Prime Minister of Iceland, becoming the world's first openly lesbian head of government.

February 7 – The deadliest bushfires in Australian history begin; they kill 173, injure 500 more, and leave 7,500 homeless. The fires come after Melbourne records the highest-ever temperature (46.4°C, 115°F) of any capital city in Australia. The majority of the fires are ignited by either fallen or clashing power lines or deliberately lit.

February 10 – A German and a Japanese satellite collide over Siberia, creating a large amount of space debris.